International Documentary Association winners announce

By Glenn Dunks

The International Documentary Association announced their winners this past weekend with the Syrian-UK For Sama taking the top prize among a field of ten nominees. IDA aren’t the best gauge of where the winds are going to blow for the Academy Awards – the last three years alone, the Best Feature prize has gone to Minding the Gap (Oscar nominated), O.J.: Made in America (Oscar winner) and Dina (not nominated). So, make of these results what you will.

Nevertheless, this win when combined with its recent BIFA win for Best British Independent Film and a swag of other nominations does position it nicely for a slot on the short list and inching closer to a nomination (although I am less a fan of it than most).

THE WINNERS:

Best Feature
For Sama (Syria, UK)
Director-Producer: Waad al-Kateab; Director: Edward Watts

Best Director
American Factory
Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert

My personal choice for the Oscar frontrunner alongside Apollo 11, so I am happy to see it take one of the biggest awards. If Oscar-nominated, it would be Netflix’s fifth nomination in as many years.

Best Writing
The Cave (Denmark, Syria, USA)
Writer: Feras Fayyad

This one still strikes me as more up Oscar’s alley than For Sama, but is there potentially room for both?

Best Short
Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you’re a girl) (Afghanistan, UK, USA)
Director: Carol Dysinger
Producer: Elena Andreicheva

If this one shows up on the Oscar list, you may just have your winner. It ticks every box.

Best Multi-Part Documentary
Leaving Neverland (USA)
Director and Producer: Dan Reed
Executive Producers: Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller

Best Music Documentary
Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé (USA)
Director and Producer: Beyoncé Knowles-Carter; Director: Ed Burke
Producers: Steve Pamon and Erinn Williams

Best Cinematography
Honeyland (North Macedonia)
Cinematographers: Fejmi Daut and Samir Ljuma

Pare Lorentz Award
Honeyland (North Macedonia)
Director: Tamara Kotevska; Director and Producer: Ljubomir Stefanov; Producer: Atanas Georgiev

The only film to win two awards. I still reckon this one from North Macedonia is just ready and waiting to sweep into either the documentary of international feature. Everybody who actually sees it falls for it. There was an honorable mention for the Pare Lorentz Award – category that recognizes films that demonstrate exemplary filmmaking while focusing on the appropriate use of the natural environment, justice for all and the illumination of pressing social problems – that went to Anthropocene.

Best Editing
Midnight Family (Mexico, USA)
Editor: Luke Lorentzen; Co-Editor: Paloma López Carrillo

This one appears to have passed me by, but it sounds excellent. The Oscar shortlist often throws some real curveballs that nobody saw coming – could this win and its Best Feature nomination signal an appearance is on the cards?

Best Music Score
The Raft (Denmark, Sweden, USA)
Composer: Hans Appelqvist

ABC News VideoSource Award
Mike Wallace is Here

Best Audio Documentary
A Sense of Quietness (UK)

Best Curated Series
Dokumania (Denmark)
Executive Producer: Anders Bruus

Best Episodic Series
Abstract: The Art of Design (USA)
Executive Producers: Scott Dadich, Morgan Neville, Dave O’Connor, Justin Wilkes and Jon Kamen

Best Short Form Series
A Moment in Mexico (Mexico, USA)
New York Times

David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award
Brewed in Palestine (USA, Israel, Palestine)
UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
Director and Producer: Emma Schwartz